The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-04-30
I'M M ENSE FORTS.
The Remarkable FortifIcations that
France has Prepared for War.

Great changes were effected in the general
military attitude of France and Germany
towards each other by the alteration of the
frontier line in 1871 writes correspondent
of the New York Post, who has been exam
lining the frontier defences of France and
Germany. Before the war of 1870 the French
frontier Was one intended for purposes of at
tack. The fortresses themselves except
Metz and Strasbourg, were Anticipated in
their construction and insuf1iciently provided
with both guns and garrisons Metz was to
be the great rallying point for the army on
its way to Berlin, and Strasbourg was to
be its next step. On the outbreak of HOSTILE
ties, thousands of maps of western Germany
were distributed to the French troops. while
one OF their officers has stated that they
found it impossible to secure a satisfactory
map of eastern France. The German from
Tier at That time was correspondingly one of
defence, but all this is changed now. The
new German frontier is rendered so strong
by the possession of Metz and StrasbOurg
aud the perfect system of railway commu-
nlcatlon to the great and practically impassa-
PIE second line OF defence.the impregnable
Rhine fortresses-that all idea of invasion as
the result OF one campaign has disappeared
nom the views of the French military au-
thorities. II Is Germany, they are all posi-
tive, who will declare war, and they know
equally well that the German army win make
the nrst move. For every reason, therefore,
the French tactics must necessarily be those
OF defence. Accordingly, since 1871, enor-
nous sums of money have been spent in pro-
vldlng eastern France with a new artificial
frontier In place of the natural one she has
lost, and, in the words of recent writer,
probably so vast scheme of military engi-
neering was never before planned and exc
ceuted In so brief time" The first line of
M frnFa TOD - Al
tresses, or rather fortified camps-for the
fortresses in themselves are practically OBJ
Solete-of, to begin on the north, Verdun
foul, Epinal, Belfort; behind these, as
second line, are Laon, Reims, Vitry, Lam
third line, stands Paris, now one of the i'm
pregnable places of Europe, as it has been SO
completely encircled by outlying forts. at
such long distance from the city and such a
snort distance from each other, as to lender
even siege OF 1t impossible to any army
except one Of ultra-colossal proportions
Thus, given the attack on the part of Germa-
ny and the lines of defence on that of France
the question Is, what course would the adj
vance OF the invaders naturally follow. Be-
ginning at the south, the violation of Swiss
territory is extremely improbable for many
reasons. among them the fact that the
brave Switzers are able to mobilize immedi-
ately an astonishingly large and well-trained
army, every man of whom would be armed
with the repeating rifle. Belfort and Epinal
are connected by series of forts so close to-
gether that 1t is stated their long-range fire
frequently oyerlaps. Between Epinal and
foul there is gap, in the rear of which lies
a small town called Neufchateau, to which
recently no fewer than five lines of railway
nave been built, thus indicating it as point
OF intended concentration. TOul and Yer
dun are again connected by close chain of
forts: The space between Verdun and the
Belgian frontier is unfortifed In war even
more imam IN other affairs it is only the IN
expected which happens, but it seems clear
from the foregoing facts that the advance
Will be made either between Epinal and
toul, or along the unfortified Franco-B Belgian
frontier, by the violation of Belgian terri
Iory. 30 clear is this that one Of the most
recent OF German writers describes these two
places as "Erwunschte Einbruckstellen.
Among English military authorities. asI
have gathered privately the fear is enter
talned That the latter is the more probable
contlngency; In Belgium itself no doubt
whatever is felt on this point and one of the
Belgian Deputies declared in the Chamber
the other day that the southern part Of Bel
GUM must Immediately become one of two
things, either fortress or battlefield. 1t
Is Is always, by the way, to be borne in mind
the neutrality of Belgium is guaranteed by
the, great Powers, including England in
such a manner that the latter would be
bound to resist by force and arms, any VIC
lation of it, is entirely incorrect. The Trea-
ty of 1889 declares simply that Belgium was
to be neutral, but the declaration is as pla-
tonic as the generosity of the American dog
breeder who remarked that it is burned
poor man that couldlnot promise pup" 1t
Is as certain as anything of the kind can be
that the only case in which England would
hight for Belgian neutrality, would be one
precisely similar to that in which Lord Gran
vile made his treaty with Germany in 1870, 1
to resist its violation by France.